BJP Karnataka chief Nalin Kumar Kateel attacks Congress on rice politics and freebies

Kateel was speaking to media after taking part in the International Yoga Day organised by the district administration at mini town hall in Mangaluru on Wednesday.

The situation of the Congress is that of a dancer who doesn't know how to dance and blames the floor, criticised Dakshina Kannada MP and BJP State President Nalin Kumar Kateel.

He was speaking to media after taking part in the International Yoga Day event organised by the district administration at mini town hall in Mangaluru on Wednesday.

Reacting to the allegations by the Congress leaders that the servers of government websites were hacked by the Centre, the MP said that the Congress had promised several freebies before elections and is not able to deliver them now. "Therefore, it is now putting blame on the Central government. The Central government, since the last nine years, has been providing 5 kgs of rice to the deserving families."

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The MP further said, "During his last chief ministerial tenure, Siddaramaiah displayed his own picture on Anna Bhagya scheme even though it was the Central government which contributed Rs 22 while the state government had contributed Rs 3 for rice per kg. Still, Siddaramaiah never acknowledged the Centre's contribution."

"It was the Congress party which had declared that it will provide 10 kg rice to people. However, it has failed to deliver on the promise. The Congress had not said earlier that the state will provide 5 kg of rice if the Centre provides 5 kg. The Centre has always been providing 5 kg rice. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the centre had provided 10 kg rice to 84 crore families until last December."

"Even though it is said that two lakh tonnes of rice is required for the state government for distribution, no minister from the state government, including the food and civil supplies minister, has spoken to the central government. The Congress leaders are delivering statements and conducting protests just to gain political mileage. I congratulate the Congress party for staging protest against itself for not being able to procure rice," Nalin mocked.

"Now they are raising allegations against the Central government on hacking of the government website, in order to conceal their failure. Let the Congress, let the state government purchase the rice. The non-BJP governments in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Rajasthan are purchasing rice from the centre, why not the Karnataka Government," he asked and alleged that Siddaramaiah is playing "cheap politics" over the issue.

"The Central government does not hack any website. Does the Congress party hack any website of local bodies where BJP is in power," he asked.